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Thursday, March 9, 2017

Communication checklist for every day: a simple and clear 3-item checklist one should check off before contacting friends, loved ones, acquaintances and colleagues

Being able to communicate effectively is like being able to dance well: some people can find it easier than others and seem to be more "naturally" talented at it, but in the end learning how to dance well takes time, practice and dedication.

Some people go for it and rock the dance floor, other people spend their time while watching other people having fun on the dance floor.

Dance first. Think later. It's the natural order.

Samuel Barclay Beckettknown as Samuel Beckett [1906-1989]

Interestingly enough, the vast majority of dancing styles involve some kind of interaction between two or more dancers, that have to agree on the steps, the rules and the frame for the dancing act to be performed.

In communication, it is pretty much the same, even if most people would argue that they don't think about this stuff and just... well, open their mouth and say something.

So here you can find a short, simple (but not easy..., at least the first times) and clear 3-item checklist you can use from now on as a communication checklist for your day-to-day communication, in order to test, refine and train your communication skills, and to better understand why do you communicate in the first place.

It is perfect for friends, loved ones, acquaintances, colleagues and for networking as well. In order words, it will get you covered in the most diverse social settings.

[Communication is almost all about the tools you use to convey your message...

What kind of expectations do I have about the interaction, while contacting this person?

Item #2. Purpose & Blueprint

What I am contacting this person for?

What kind of agenda, hidden or shared with my recipient, do I have while contacting this person?

Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.

Robert Louis Balfour Stevensonknown as Robert Louis Stevenson [1850-1894]

Item #3. Human relationship sustainability check

How will my interaction with this person going to impact their day?

Am I going to add value, to make them happy, to improve their lives, to share knowledge, to care?

As it would happen while learning new dancing steps, at the beginning, these questions could be difficult to answer or it could take some nerves and effort to dig into them.
Over time, interaction after interaction, it will become more and more clear that doing it on a regular basis and keeping up with the good work is absolutely worth it.